1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a primary plastic pan assembly for use in conjunction with air conditioning installations and refrigeration systems, and more particularly to a plastic primary pan assembled with a supporting bracket which is mounted to a motor and a fan cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Primary pans are generally known to be utilized with air conditioning systems. Conventional devices utilize a primary pan made of steel which is directly mounted to a fan cover and a motor. However, these devices suffer from a number of problems such as, for example, the problem that metallic primary pans eventually become rusted and plug up outlets for draining water from the pan. Further, it is difficult for the pan to support the air condition system such as the motor and the pan cover, because of the additional weight caused by the metal pan, so that the motor cannot be used for a long time. It is also very difficult for the primary pans to separate from such devices because the structure is very complicated and device has a heavy weight.
In order to avoid such problems, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,269, issued to the present inventor, discloses a plastic pan adapted to be mounted to the motor of an air conditioning system which includes a primary pan, a support bracket, height-adjustable brackets, and a motor mount bracket whereby the plastic pan avoids the plugging up of the outlet. However, this primary pan exhibits some problems with regard to convenient and reliable assembling and requires a lot of bolts for installation.
U S. Pat. No. 4,823,558, issued by the present inventor, discloses a plastic pan assembly for use in air conditioning systems and refrigerators wherein a plastic pan having a raised portion or a rail disposed on the outside surface of the bottom thereof is easily engaged with a channeled supporting bracket. However, this pan assembly requires a large space for working.
The present inventor is also prosecuting another U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/286,863, filed Dec. 20, 1988, now allowed U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,704 which disclosed an improved primary pan for use in an air conditioning system which includes a C-shaped plastic pan having a raised portion or a rail disposed on the outside surface of the bottom thereof, a channeled supporting bracket having a plurality of elongated apertures for engaging the raised portion of the rail of the plastic pan, and a pair of fan covers having a channel disposed on the outside surface of the top and a circumferential raised portion disposed around a lower outlet thereof for effectively mounting to and separating from the supporting bracket to the plastic pan with only two pairs of screws. However, this pan assembly cannot apply to a specific air conditioning system having a narrow width thereof.